In a massive move towards gender sensitization, a whole new set of emojis including one representing menstruation is all set to be rolled out as part of The Emoji 12.0 update. This latest update which will soon make way to your smartphones will include 59 new emojis along with as many as 171 variants for gender and skin tone.
The most important out of these 230 emojis which have been cleared for release is perhaps the menstruation emoji. Shaped like a drop and red in colour, the emoji is an unabashed representation of the female menstruation cycle. According to a report by Vogue, this move was the result of a resounding demand by more than 55,000 people led by Plan International UK, a global girls’ rights charity.
Head of Plan International UK, Lucy Russell told media outlets that the inclusion of this emoji is being done to “express what 800 million women around the globe are experiencing every month”. She went further to say that this is a huge step towards normalising periods and attacking the stigma attached to it in countries around the world.
In fact, the design of this emoji is the result of a 2017 survey where the charity asked internet users to vote on what the emoji should look like. Apart from this, the new update will also include several important emojis such as the ones for people with disabilities, temples, auto rickshaws and Indian sarees. The move will definitely work towards gender sensitization in a country such as India where menstruation is considered a social taboo.
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